Clark on Freer

Audrey Young reports:

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark yesterday has paid tribute to Warren Freer for his pioneering work in contact with China.

Mr Freer died on Thursday last week, aged 92.

He was a former journalist and was first elected to Parliament in 1947. He remained there for 43 years until his retirement in 1981, when Helen Clark succeeded him.

Helen Clark said last night that Mr Freer had a place not only in Labour Party history but in New Zealand history.

“When you look back at the 50s and Warren’s determination to open a window on China for New Zealand, this was pioneering and quite brave work and led to him being smeared quite a lot all his life as being pro-communist.”

I think it was his enthusiasm for North Korea that may have got him labelled that.

The NZ – North Korean friendship society writes:

Freer also visited North Korea on a number of occasions. During late 1979 an NZ-DPRK  Society delegation to the North was received by the DPRK Deputy Prime Minister. In an article published after the visit the delegation said that the country’s industrial development was “remarkable”, and the degree of equality “most impressive”. North Korea was “very delighted” with such coverage.

I’m sure they were!

Freer wrote a history of his time in Parliament. I haven’t read it, but I understand it has fascinating details of the internal caucus battles of Labour in the 1950s to 1970s.